Share this article
Filecoin Creators Launch $5 Million Crypto Grant Program
Protocol Labs, the company behind Filecoin and other projects, has announced a research grant program worth $5 million initially.
By Nikhilesh De
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:48 a.m. Published Apr 11, 2018, 8:00 a.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Blockchain developer Protocol Labs has launched a multi-million dollar research grant program.
The startup, which is behind projects such as Filecoin, IPFS and Coinlist, on Tuesday announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) program that will see an initial $5 million put towards research efforts. Successful bids will receive grants between $5,000 and $200,000, the company said in a statement on its blog.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Protocol Labs explained:
"The first RFPs solicit improvements to components used in Filecoin and a breakthrough that may dramatically simplify consensus protocol including Filecoin’s. Future RFPs will fund problems across our whole stack of protocols, from Multiformats to Filecoin, and we also welcome open problems and suggestions for work we may be interested in funding."
The firm listed a number of projects on its Github page for developers to look into as a starting point. However, "Due to the open-ended nature of these problems, it’s worth noting that we may end up choosing more than one proposal per open problem," it stated.
Research applications will be judged on the quality of the proposed research and relevant experience of the individual or team. Completed solutions are not eligible to apply, states the post.
Solutions must be open source, and therefore accessible to the broader developer community.
To support the effort, the company further announced it is hosting meetups and other events to help facilitate discussion around the technical problems that need solving to improve the space. Further, if the scheme proves successful, Protocol Labs hopes to expand the program in future.
Miniatures and coins image via Shutterstock
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Altcoins jump as dollar slides, bitcoin holds steady: Crypto Markets Today
The Dollar Index hit a four-year low, while altcoins surged led by HYPE, JTO and Solana memecoin PIPPIN.
What to know:
- Bitcoin held near $89,200 and ether topped $3,000, supported by a sharp drop in the U.S. dollar index (DXY).
- Altcoins outperformed, with Hyperliquid’s HYPE up 25% and Solana staking token JTO extending a 31% three-day rally.
- Speculative tokens led gains, including Solana-based memecoin PIPPIN up 64%, as CoinDesk’s altcoin-heavy CD80 index beat CD20.
